Shin
Shin (しん/信) is the main protagonist of Kingdom. He is the Commander of the Hi Shin Unit (Flying Arrow), which is currently an independent marauding 8000-Man Unit with him as a 5000-Man Commander and Kyou Kai as a following 3000-Man Commander. Appearance In the beginning, Shin is an thin young boy with spiky black hair styled with a rattail on the back. By the time after Ou Ki's death, Shin's hair has grown slightly longer with his rattail reaching his shoulder, he also has hazel eyes. His facial features are more pronounced, and has grown slightly more muscular. Despite this, his appearance largely remains unchanged. In terms of clothing, his only attire that he consistently wears throughout the series is his sleeveless blue garment fastened with a brown cloth belt complete with a pair of straw sandals giving him the appearance of a scraggy peasant to most people. After the Sanyou Campaign, Shin begins to wear armor composed of a blue scalemail, bracers and boots. Underneath his armor, his clothing remains unchanged aside from a pair of white pants that reaches his thigh. Shin has also carried a sword with him at all times which was given to him by Hyou at the time of his death. He also has in his possession General Ou Ki's Glaive and Duke Hyou's shield entrusted to him at the time of their deaths which in turn was given to Ei Sei for safekeeping until he is strong enough to be able to use them in the battlefield especially Ou Ki's Glaive. After becoming a 4000-Man Commander, he started to use a glaive for cavalry combat, which he carries around with him. He as also incorporated spikes onto his shoulder armor that act as a form of neck guard. Personality Shin is extremely hotheaded and brash, but he's also a person with good intentions. He is fiercely loyal to his friends as shown when he vows to avenge Hyō, even at the risk of his own death. His hot temper also makes him clash with Ka Ryo Ten and they tend to bicker like siblings constantly. He is capable of great rage when provoked by other, making him a deadly opponent to fight against. Shin is also very headstrong and courageous which is evident where he unhesitatingly charges at his enemies often ones that are much more stronger than him (such as Sa Ji and to a much greater extent, Hou Ken). Shin shows an exceptional level of charisma, who not only can encourage and lead his own unit with his words but also has managed to impress even the greatest generals after his participation in the different campaigns and battles, including Ouki, Mou Gou, Ri Boku, Rin Ko, Ren Pa and Duke Hyou. Shin's dream is to become the world's greatest general, so that his name will be known even in the heavens. He shared this dream with Hyou and now sets out to fulfill it for both of them. Goal Shin's goal is become the greatest general in history, by uniting China. Relationships Hyou Raised as brothers, Hyou was the only person Shin considered to be family prior to meeting Ka Ryo Ten. As young boys they nourished the dream of becoming the greatest generals in history, and even now Shin takes inspiration from him. Hyou considered Shin and himself to be one and the same, and with his last words, requested Shin to 'take me to those heights.' Ei Sei The young king of Qin, and originally a target for Shin's revenge, Shin was convinced that aiding Ei Sei would be the only way he could achieve his and Hyou's dream. From there on the two grew close, Shin respecting the king's strength of character and willpower, and Sei relying upon Shin as his sword and shield. The two foster a close friendship, and share the same dream of conquering China together. Kyou Kai Having lost a big piece of herself with her sister's death, Shin became a light in the darkness for her, repairing the shattered fragments of her emotions, and giving her a place to call home. Kyou Kai is extremely loyal to Shin and wishes to help him achieve his dream of uniting China, changing her plans accordingly. Shin respects her skills with a blade and often enjoys sparring with her to sharpen his own. Ka Ryo Ten Shin considers Ka Ryo Ten as his little sister. On chapter 386, Shin said,"Then I met Ten. The first comrades I ever made were Sei and Ten. And ever since then. You could say I already think of her... as part or my family. Like the one and only sister I have." ''Shin and Ka Ryo Ten met each other when Sei was trying to get his kingdom back, and later on, fight together as comrades in the Hi Shin Unit. Ou Ki Shin has nothing but respect and admiration for the Great General, seeing him as a mentor and a guide toward his path towards being a great general. Shin's respect for Ou Ki lead him to kill Gika without mercy, and stand up to Ren Pa when he insulted Ou Ki's passing. Ou Ki saw Shin as one of the new "sprouts" for the future of QIn and believed he was worthy of inheriting his glaive before he died. Possessions After the battle with State of Wei during the Sanyou Campaign, he was given Rin Ko's sword by Ren Pa, a former member of the Three Great Heavens of Zhao as a parting gift for defeating Rin Ko, one of the Four Heavenly Kings. He also has Duke Hyou's Shield in his possession but haven't used it yet together with Rin Ko's Sword. Prior to the Tonryuu Rebellion, Shin's main weapon is Hyou's Sword which he carries on his back when sheathed. By the time Shin becomes a 4000-Man Commander, he has already has started to wield a glaive as a preperation before he uses Ou Ki's Glaive. Abilities Although possessing little talent for strategy or tactics, Shin has continued to develop his instincts that has allowed a sense of insight into the flow of a battle to be observed as he grows. In lieu of tactics, Shin leads his unit from the front leading direct charges cutting down swaths and deep into enemy ranks. Through this Shin and his unit continue to grow into stronger and more capable fighters, who specialize in being able to take on enemies many times their number. As a warrior Shin boasts superior physical abilities and martial prowess than most. Though perhaps his two most impressive assets is his relentless tenacity that marks both his style of fighting and is the most indicative trait that leads to his growth. When enraged, he is able to break through his physical limits and overwhelm his enemies with brute strength alone. His signature move is to leap into the air and slice down at his opponent, cutting through their heart. Strength One of Shin's most prominent traits is his monstrous strength, this is evident even at a young age as shown when he overpowers 4 bandits simultaneously despite the huge difference in size. Fueled with rage over Hyou death, he was able with his fist to smash through stone walls. His monstrous strength was also shown during his fight with Rinko, the most dangerous and strongest vassal of Renpa, which was enough to slay him. He has even managed to wound Hou Ken, a man whom was only ever wounded by Kyou, Ou Ki and Duke Hyou, three of the most prominent fighters in Qin. Agility He is capable of dodging fast attacks as shown numerous times throughout his battles. He is agile enough to match Kyou Kai's movements during a friendly sparring match. Adaptation During the fight with Jo Kan, Shin has demonstrated the ability to adapt very quickly in order to get the upper hand in battles. Endurance Shin has displayed an immense amount of tenacity to the point he is capable of fighting on despite excessive blood loss from his wounds. As shown in the battle of Sai, Shin is able to fight on for days with little to no sleep through sheer willpower alone. Healing Rate It is stated by Kyou Kai that he also has a higher healing rate than an average person. Sword Skills From the beginning, Shin is well versed in swordplay from his constant sparring with Hyou during his days as a servant. He is able to hold his ground against multiple opponents, this is evident during the Battle of Sai where he quickly overwhelms multiple skilled opponents. Sword Techniques With his battle with Rankai, Heki taught him that he needed to thrust his sword in order to cut Rankai. After which he then jumped in the air to create more thrust from the falling movement and then he concentrated that power in to a single point. Leadership Skills He has the skill to inspire the people around him, much like any great general. Being able to increase moral in dire situations is one of his greatest assets. It has been stated by Rin Ko that he was a greater leader than he was at Shin's age, shown when at the time Shin had became the figure head for the entire central army. Another example is shown when he led 10,000 of Duke Hyou's troops most of whom were in disarray and retreating. Horsemanship Ever since the battle with Rinko, Shin's Horsemanship has improved by leaps and bounds. Afterwards, in the manga he was also able to repel Renpa's blows. Capable of riding horses that are more difficult to control. His horse also displayed great loyalty to him so it is assumed that he treated it such to deserve that loyalty. Instincts During the invasion of Qin by the Coalition Army at The Battle at Kankoku Pass on the first day, Shin demonstrated awakening as an instinctual general. Able to sense that the rear would be attacked, he moved accordingly. In the following days he felt that there was something wrong with the enemy as he thought that the Chu army was kind of quiet in their attacks. Weaknesses He isn't capable of creating strategic plans, which makes it difficult for him to score victories against relatively weak opponents. Sometimes easily provoked and can be very reckless. Things He Learned *Sword fighting from Hyou. *To deflect killer intent directed at him by Ei Sei. *On how to ride horses. *Sword Technique by Heki. *To defend against War Chariots. *Strength of a 5-man Squad (Go). *How to make a Rampart by Kyou Kai. *To defeat War Chariots by attacking the chariot itself by Kyou Kai. Other Just when Ou Ki was already dying, he taught Shin how to breath and see. When he opened his eyes, he was able to see allies and enemy's more clearly. Able to see escape routes and patterns. We don't know if Shin is currently capable of using this technique, because it is never being mentioned after this event. However it is possible that during the invasion of Qin by the Coalition Army, when he started to awaken his instinctual ability's, he is actually utilizing what he learned from Ou Ki. But this is just speculations so far. We see sometimes that very strong people have a sort of aura around them. We don't know if this is just animation for making them appear stronger or this is actually an ability. However there are hints here and there that this is maybe an actually ability, because Yotanwa was able to see something through walls and Ou Ki and other generals mentioned being able to sense strong opponents if they are near the vicinity. We also don't know if to able to sense an opponent and see their aura is related to the same ability. Quotes * Monologue ''"I want to fight him! And feel the sensation from fighting him. The strength of the former Three Great Heaven, Ren Pa, the man who was evenly matched with Qin's Six Generals." (Chapter 237, page 7) Owned Land/House Shin's territory of residence is known as Fuuri. After his achievements in the coalition invasion war, it was enlarged. Trivia * From what we see in his time as a slave, Shin has absolutely zero cooking and cleaning skills. * Fun fact: The voice behind Shin, Masakazu Morita, also was the voice of Ichigo Kurosaki (Bleach), and he was the motion picture actor for Zell Dincht in Final Fantasy VIII! * Shin is based on real life general of Qin, Li Xin. Category:Characters Category:Qin Category:Male Category:Qin Commanders Category:Instinctual Commanders Category:5000-Man Commanders Category:Hi Shin Unit Category:Taku Squad Category:Village of Jouto Category:Ei Sei Faction Category:Cavalry Category:Glaive Users Category:Sword Users